Greatest Aussie Daddy Bloggers Of All Time

To look at me you’d think I was an extremely tired, frustrated unapproachable man with an angry expression but there is a disco inside my head and the mindset of Rambo and the combination of these two forces creates the most mortally dangerous and technically brilliant dancing machine the world has ever seen. I can massacre entire armies with my intense focus and raise them again with the smooth moves only available to those with one foot firmly planted in dance heaven.

Something stopped me from including the above paragraph in one of my posts a few months back – a sudden drop in self esteem. A day before I was about to post it, I was chatting on Facebook, and a close friend of a person I used to talk to occasionally told me that I was quite unique, and even though she used a smiley emoticon in an attempt to disguise her tone, I just knew that she was rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she hit RETURN on her smarmy little keyboard.

Twelve coffees later I shuffled through an IPOD of 80’s classics, removed that paragraph from the post and had a quiet moment of caffeine-wired self reflection. Here are some of the key points I raised with myself –

“My daily routines and events are ordinary and common. I can engage in conversation and even appear to be almost normal. But on the inside I am perpetually strutting 'the walk scene' in John Travolta’s 1980s hit movie, Staying Alive. (See below for reference.)

I may have a heightened sense of my dancing abilities – some may even say I am schizophrenically skilled in this area – but it is of little concern because, as they say, ‘it only matters what’s on the inside’.

I’m pretty sure I have an innate desire to rebel. Whenever someone paints me into ‘the common crowd’ I find I’m pumping my tyres to rise above it. And whenever someone 'neon lights' me with labels like 'unique' or 'not quite normal' I find that I’m searching for a way back into the warm, safe anonymity of the regular Aussie Joe. I mean, in the end, we all just want to fit in... but not completely.“

Since then I have had daily conversations with myself that always seem to end with this question; 'Am I the only Dad in the world who uses interior monologue, mentally sexy underwear and a semi-reality based (but not quite delusional) appreciation of the world to cope with the day-to-day ups and downs of parenthood and partnerhood?'

And the answer I give myself every time is; 'Ha! Of course not. It is much more likely that there are tens of Aussie Dads who think exactly like me, at least once in their lives.'

It was with that mindset that I went on a mad search for the Greatest Aussie Dad Blogs Of All Time because Dads who blog are unusual in these parts. But Dads in general? Well, they’re pretty common just about everywhere. So what better way to feel a bit unique and a little ordinary than to fit in with a unique group of ordinary people! Bin-fricken-go!

I am posting today because my search has proved fruitful. I am among a growing number of blogging Aussie Dads. And even though the mental images and the interior monologues we create may vary slightly, we can all draw strength from knowing that, at our very core, we are simply and purely mental.

Tacklenappy.com is a website that looks ready to take off. There’s a heap of great resources for Dads and Mums, a range of articles and Dad Diaries and even a ‘Dad Of The Year Award’.

“We’re two Melbourne dads Bucky and Chubba who blog about the two things we love – parenting and sport (AFL). Bucky is the proud dad of Kids A (8yrs), B (4yrs) & C (10 months). Chubba has a little princess Kid X (3 yrs) and little man Kid Y (10 months). We’re both struggling to juggle work, kids and a lack of sleep, oh and also keep a blog up to date.”

Kevin, a happily married father of one daughter born in mid 2010, offers ‘no advice’ just a wealth of experience ‘dealing with the unpredictable journey that is, kids.’

“I’m writing this blog because I like the idea of putting my thoughts somewhere and I’ve got enough of an ego to hope that someone might find them entertaining. Blogging Dads are a rare breed over here so I’m especially interested in hearing with any other Dad’s in Australia.

I was thrilled to find Jim’s site. We both share a love for weightlifting and kid wrangling. A great site that adds to the growing diversity of Aussie Dad Blogs.

“This website is for both of my children. I hope it helps them understand the things that inspire me to become a better father and the things I seek learning from, to become a good man; and I hope that in some way, by curating and gathering some of this stuff, I can inspire other men to aim to be better fathers and better men too.”

‘I’m a father of 7. I’m essentially a 45 year old child. I have little to no idea of how things work and attempt to fix anything which breaks with pegs, bluetac and tape. I would love to fix things by banging them with a hammer but, for the safety of all involved, my wife Tracey took it off me several years ago. I enjoy cooking and reading and not cleaning toilets. My favourite flower is self-raising. My favourite game with the kids is Hide & Seek, although mainly Hide. I have a real knack for being where the big jobs aren't.

Mike’s a generation Y husband and proud dad of two who creates media during the day for a Sydney based University.

He and his wife are into all kinds of crazy-cool stuff like DJing and sketching and recording their own music. If you’re about to have your first baby I’d recommend reading these fantastic posts – A quick guy’s guide to going to the hospital (for the birth of your baby) – Part 1, Part 2. Oh man, and you should check out his cupcake video!

A comical look at being a dad for the very first time at the ripe old "middle-age" of 40. After nine attempts at pregnancy through IVF, Justin and his wife got pregnant during a five month stint in Bali. Congrats!

“This is our first (and probably, only), child and my dad was half my age when they first had me. So, I’m definitely no expert, but I am documenting this journey with all the tips and advice that I discover along the way.”

Melbourne Dad’s living in the hustle and bustle of Abbotsford in Melbourne’s inner east.

By day he works as a lawyer protecting brands and dealing with regulators for a large multinational FMCG food and beverage business and by night and weekends he helps out Super Mum by looking after their little Bub.

He runs a “jack-of-all blogs” blog about anything he finds either interesting or amusing.

Matt is an England born stay at home Dad now living in Melbourne. A very funny, well written and insightful blog. Here is what he has to say:

"I've come a long way in a year, initially I thought Braxton Hicks was a 1960's American soul singer. Today I am a dad, who always makes sure Max is clothed, fed, protected and loved. I have smiled more this year than any other."

A year ago BAD was a happily married twenty-something drinking, getting dirty and living a life where his main responsibility was putting down the toilet seat. (Sounds familiar!)

“I’m going to document every step of the way, from choosing the pram and baby seat, to clothes, furniture, and nappies, and all the while adjusting emotionally to caring for a person whose happiness depends so much upon my actions. This is how I go about Being A Dad.”

Whole Larder Love was recently voted a Top 100 Finalist in the Kidspot Voices Of 2013 Competition. Let's here from the blogger, Rohan, himself - "This blog allows me to regale you with thrilling yarns of cooking, hunting, fishing, harvesting from my patch and of course daily life with my little family living in our historic country town situated in Victoria, Australia."

Damon is a Dad, philosopher, writer and martial artist. Damon hates the term Daddy Blogger but I just have to include him here because his articles and blog posts on parenting are always so well written and so thought provoking. Damon and his wife have gone to great lengths to ensure that they both have career time and heaps of family time.

Tim and Joyce have documented the pregnancy and birth of their baby girl, NKOTB, who arrived on the planet February 13 2011. And their posts since then offer a great insight into a new parent’s life. I particularly liked Tim’s thoughts on Paternity leave.

Colin Wee is a former Stay-at-Home-Dad, turned Work-at-Home-Dad, the original Superparent and a heavyweight in the parent-blogging scene. He’s gathered an impressive group of writers around his website. The website is currently being renovated but you can check out Colin's other site - The Associate Woman - in the meantime.

*Even though I am exhaustive, this list isn't. If you are an Aussie Dad blogger, or know of one, please email me the details or leave a comment below. Any bloggers currently on the list can be removed, or have their photos, blurb and details changed by contacting me here.